Scientists have tracked down previously undiscovered colonies of Antarctic emperor penguins after spotting trails of their droppings on satellite pictures, a study said last week.
Zooming in on individual penguins is beyond current satellite imagery, but the tell-tale reddish-brown stains on the polar ice helped home in on large groups of the black and white flightless birds.
Mapping expert Peter Fretwell of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) said the poop trail helps to track movements of the penguins, which in turn helps to monitor how they respond to climate change.
“We can’t see actual penguins on the satellite maps because the resolution isn’t good enough. But during the breeding season the birds stay at a colony for eight months,” he said.
“The ice gets pretty dirty and it’s the guano stains that we can see,” he added.
The penguins spend much of their lives at sea, but return to their colonies to breed during the Antarctic winter. Scientists managed to identify 38 colonies, including 10 new ones, according to the research published in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography.
“This is a very exciting development,” said BAS penguin ecologist Phil Trathan. “Now we know exactly where the penguins are, the next step will be to count each colony so we can get a much better picture of population size.
“Using satellite images combined with counts of penguin numbers puts us in a much better position to monitor future population changes over time.”(AFP)
上週有一項研究指出，科學家從衛星空照圖中發現南極國王企鵝的糞痕，並進而追蹤到先前未曾發現的企鵝棲息地。
目前衛星圖像科技仍無法放大觀看個別的企鵝，不過這些出現在極地冰上可供辨認的紅棕色污點，有助於找出這群黑白毛色又不會飛的鳥類。
英國南極觀測站的地圖製圖專家彼得．佛雷威爾說，追蹤糞便有助於他們了解這些企鵝的行動，並進而監控牠們對氣候變遷的反應。
他說：「因為衛星圖的解析度不夠，所以我們無法真正觀測到企鵝。但在繁殖季節，這些企鵝會在棲息地停留八個月。」
他還說：「冰面會變得很髒，那就是我們看到的鳥糞。」
南極國王企鵝多生活在海上，但冬天時會回到棲息地繁殖。《全球生態暨生物地理學》期刊刊載的研究指出，科學家找出三十八個牠們的棲息地，其中有十個新發現的地點。
英國南極觀測站的企鵝生態學者菲爾．崔森說：「這是一項很令人興奮的發現。現在我們確知企鵝的位置，下一步就是計算出每個棲息地的企鵝數量，如此一來，我們就能對企鵝族群的大小有更清楚的概念。」
「利用衛星圖結合企鵝數量，更有助於我們未來觀測企鵝數量的變遷。」（法新社�翻譯：袁星塵）
After the death of Pope Francis on April 21, the Vatican’s papal conclave on May 8 elected a new leader for the Catholic Church. Chicago-born Robert Francis Prevost, who chose to be called Leo XIV, became the 267th pope, spiritual leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics. But what exactly does a pope do? Here is a rundown of his main responsibilities. CATHOLIC LEADER The word pope comes from the Greek “pappas,” meaning “father, patriarch,” which is why believers call him the Holy Father. He is considered the successor of St Peter, to whom Jesus Christ is said to have entrusted
Have you ever wondered who decides what we see in a museum or how one artwork seamlessly connects to the next? Behind every thoughtfully arranged gallery space stands a curator, a skilled professional who combines art and storytelling to craft meaningful experiences. The term “curator” originates from the Latin word cura, meaning “to care.” Curators were originally caretakers of museum collections, but over time, their role has grown to include a broad range of responsibilities that extend far beyond preservation. Today, curators manage, organize and interpret collections in cultural institutions like museums and libraries. They research, acquire and catalogue
A: The 2025 World Masters Games will begin on May 17 and run until May 30. B: World Masters Games? A: It’s a quadrennial multi-sport event for people over 30, which will be jointly held by Taipei and New Taipei City. B: Cool, maybe we can go cheer for all the athletes from home and abroad. A: There will be an athletes’ parade in downtown Taipei prior to the opening ceremony on Saturday. Let’s go then. A: 2025雙北世界壯年運動會5月17日開幕，持續至5月30日閉幕。 B: 世壯運？ A: 這是四年一度、以30歲以上青壯年為主的運動會，本屆是由台北市和新北市共同舉辦。 B: 好酷喔，我們去幫來自國內外的選手們加油吧！ A: 週六在台北市區會有選手遊行，之後是開幕典禮，我們去看吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪)
1. 我們最小的女兒瑪麗成為一個聰明勇敢的女子。 ˇ Mary, our youngest daughter, grew into an intelligent and brave woman. χ Mary, our youngest daughter, she grew into an intelligent and brave woman. 註：主詞重疊在中文裏偶或出現，如：「瑪麗…她…」，但英語中每個句子只能有一個主詞，因此Mary... she...不符英文習慣。 2. 是殖民者來美洲破壞了美洲印地安人的文化。 ˇ It was the colonists that came to America and destroyed the American Indians’ civilization. χ It was the colonists came to America and destroyed the American Indians’ civilization. 註：強調句中的主詞、受詞或副詞最常用的方法是改成It is ... that ...的結構。強調部分，放在It is之後，其餘的部分放在that之後。若是將that省略則不合文法，因該句將多出一個動詞。縱使It is之後的名詞是人，最好還是用that，不要用 who。 ˇ It was my uncle that brought us this happy life. （強調 My uncle brought us this happy life. 句中的主詞。） χ It was after independence that we led a happy life. （強調 We led a happy life after independence. 句中的副詞。） 3. 我那天買的微波爐花了我一千六百塊錢。 ˇ The microwave
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